


Smiley and the Swine

by NamelessNovelist



Series: The Lost Children of L'manberg [2]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Antfrost is mentioned, Child Neglect, Feral Behavior, Found Family, George Sapnap and bad are there for a second, Homelessness, Lemme know if I should tag something :), Minor Near Death Experiences, Threats of Violence, they might come back idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:53:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28457112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelessNovelist/pseuds/NamelessNovelist
Summary: Jordan sat on the front porch of the large home drinking a mug of coffee alongside Phil who was reading from the newspaper, hoping to see any news of the kids. He watched as some of the townspeople’s children raced up and down the streets, playing tag in the morning sun. Closest to the house, was a group of three boys chasing each other with sticks in hand, as makeshift swords. One of the kids gasped and stopped running alerting his two friends to listen, and Jordan, although he wasn’t nosy, couldn’t help but tune in.“Guys! I have an idea for the next Manhunt!” A boy with a white headband announced to his friends.And, honestly, Jordan thought, this might as well happen.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Darryl Noveschosch & Sapnap, Clay | Dream & Jordan Maron, Clay | Dream & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Jordan Maron & Phil Watson, Jordan Maron & Technoblade, Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: The Lost Children of L'manberg [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2061756
Comments: 21
Kudos: 356





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i kinda dislike the title of this, so it might change idk.
> 
> Also, you guys were all so nice in the comments of the first work, and it made me feel really encouraged, so i appreciate it!! So here's another new work, even though i have several others i should finish first lmao

The success of the first trip into the forest of L’manberg wasn’t consistent. Phil and Jordan had traveled back into the woods twice since then, and the only proof that the children existed was small footprints and drawings etched into the dirt. From the information the two had gathered, at least six children were living together out in the forest, and Tommy and Tubbo were likely the youngest. Niki and Wilbur seemed to take on more leading and parental roles, while Dream and Techno ran protection and hunting detail.

With each failed search, the duo grew more concerned for the tribe of children. They began asking around the town for sightings or leads. Of course, some of the more bitter townspeople refused to be of assistance, not that they had much to offer anyway though. Phil and Jordan had grown despondent, until one particular day the stars aligned and an idea struck.

Jordan sat on the front porch of the large home drinking a mug of coffee alongside Phil who was reading from the newspaper, hoping to see any news of the kids. He watched as some of the townspeople’s children raced up and down the streets, playing tag in the morning sun. Closest to the house, was a group of three boys chasing each other with sticks in hand, as makeshift swords. One of the kids gasped and stopped running alerting his two friends to listen, and Jordan, although he wasn’t nosy, couldn’t help but tune in.

“Guys! I have an idea for the next Manhunt!” A boy with a white headband announced to his friends.

And, honestly, Jordan thought, this might as well happen. What else would kids talk about in the morning other than a game called Manhunt.

“Really?” A boy in goggles asked as he walked up to the other, stick dragging in the dirt behind him.

“Yeah! Maybe we can get Antfrost to help us?!”

The third boy in a dark hood joined the others, as they all sat on the ground and set up for what appeared to be a mock meeting, “I don’t know if Dream would be okay with that, Sapnap. He doesn’t seem to like too many people.”

Phil, who was apparently also listening in, lowered his newspaper, and side-eyed Captain Sparklez. “Do you think they’re talking about the same Dream that Tubbo mentioned?” Phil whispered.

Jordan shrugged, “It would make sense. They seem to be afraid of adults, but maybe other kids aren’t off-limits?”

“Oh, come on,” the boy with the headband, referred to as Sapnap, started, “He barely cares about anything, as long as he thinks the others are safe, he won’t care! ‘Sides, he could use the socialization! All he does is hide behind that stupid mask. He doesn’t even talk!”

“The not true!” The boy in goggles shouted, “He told us his name!”

Sapnap crossed his arms and huffed, “That hardly counts.”

At this point, Phil and Jordan were convinced, somehow these three boys had not only met one of the children out in the forest, but they managed to gain his trust enough that they almost seemed to be friends, or at least, as friendly as kids who play a game called Manhunt can be.

“Should-” Jordan began, “Should we talk to them?”

Phil shook his head, “I don’t think they would trust us.” He examined the trio of boys before noticing that the one in the hood seemed to be staring right at them. “Oh, crap.”

The hooded kid pulled his friends in close and whispered in their ears before pointing in Phil and Jordan’s direction. Suddenly, three pairs of eyes were focused on them.

“Oh, Gods, we keep digging ourselves in deep don’t we?” Jordan asked. “Now we gotta talk to them.” And as he stood and dusted himself off, leaving his, now empty, mug on the porch steps, the trio of boys abruptly stood and bolted into the direction of the woods.

“Damn.” Phil said as he too sat the newspaper down on the wooden steps, “What are the chances they don’t think we’re creeps who want to kidnap them or the kids in the woods?”

“Zero.”

Phil sighed, “That’s what I thought.”

And so, the two men abandoned their slow morning, and took off into the woods after the boys, hoping to apologize for scaring them and offer an explanation. Now, typically, Phil didn’t endorse chasing children you don’t know, but if the boys got away, they could undo what little progress he and Jordan had made.

“Goggles?! Headband kid?!” Phil called.

“Listen, we didn’t mean to scare you! We just want to help!” Jordan shouted as he carefully maneuvered around exposed tree roots and tangled grass. Phil, who was a couple of paces ahead, looked upwards into the tree, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone hiding in the branches. 

Jordan placed his hand on Phil’s shoulder, “Maybe we should head back and wait for them to return? I mean, they’ve got to go back at some point.”

Phil scowled and opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by a net of vines, previously hidden by leaves and debris, closing around him and Jordan and lifting them into the air.  
“Oh, Gods!” Jordan exclaimed as Phil muttered frantic swears under his breath. The net spun slightly where it was suspended in the air, and just as they started to get dizzy, they heard the sound of footsteps approaching behind them.

“Oh,” Jordan gasped, assuming it was one of the three boys from before, “ Thank goodness! Can you help us down?”

Silence.

Suddenly the net stopped spinning as it was grabbed by someone they couldn’t see and jerked around so that the men could see their savior.

They looked down from their suspended position, and in front of them on the ground stood a child, covered in a large, lime green, hooded poncho. The child wore what appeared to be a white porcelain mask with a smiley face painted on it. The mask was cracked and covered in stains of dirt, and what might have been blood. If it was fixed up and cleaned, it might have looked cute and endearing, but in the context of the situation, the mask made Phil’s blood run cold.

“And why would we do that?” The boy's voice sounded innocent and soft against the ambient sounds of the forest, but the scratchy undertones of the voice implied that he didn’t speak often.

Phil gulped and attempted to keep his cool, “We?”

Silence.

The smile-masked boy tilts his head, and it would remind Jordan of a puppy, if it wasn't so creepy, and whispered, “Can’t you see the Swine King? ‘Cause he can see you.”

A rustling sound drifts down from the tree the net hangs from and a low snarl echoed after it.


	2. Chapter 2

“What do you mean Swine King? There haven’t been any pigs near L’manberg in a decade?!” Jordan asked as a shiver traveled up his spine.

The masked boy, who Phil and Jordan assumed to be the previously mentioned Dream, said nothing. He seemed to have grown tired, or perhaps bored, of speaking and instead decided to convey his nonchalance through an exaggerated head roll, and although his eyes were hidden Phil was sure he had rolled them too.

“Where do you think those pigs went?” A low, somewhat monotonous voice asked from overhead. 

“O-okay, let’s,” Phil tried to regain control of the situation that was quickly slipping from his grasp, “Let’s take a step back for a second. Why don’t we introduce ourselves, my name is-”

“I don’t care.” The child who was hidden in the above branches dropped to the ground and landed in a low crouch next to Dream. The new boy was bigger than Dream, but the effects of long-term malnourishment were just as prominent in both. He held what appeared to be a homemade spear in his right hand, and a crown of twigs rested on his pink-haired head. For a brief moment, Phil and the new boy made eye contact through the net as blue eyes found red ones. “Why are you here?”

“Oh, um, we wanted to apologize to these boys we scared on accident! I think one of them might have been named Sapnap. Have you seen them?” Jordan interjected.

The pink-haired boy rose from his crouch and narrowed his eyes as Dream gasped before letting out a low rumbling growl. The intimidation tactic worked partially as intended, but mostly, it left Jordan wanting to pull the boy into an embrace to soothe his nerves.

“Why should we trust you?” 

“Well, we already met Tommy and Tubbo, and they trusted us just fine,” Jordan stated, and although he meant well, Phil knew that things were going to head south very quickly if Jordan kept sticking his foot in his mouth.

As the two boys heard the names of the younger children, they both stooped into defensive stances, Dream hissed and sputtered like a beast preparing to attack, and the other pointed the head of the spear into the net, poking slightly into Jordan’s stomach.

“What my friend means! Is that we mean no harm! We did briefly encounter Tommy and Tubbo, but they were safe the whole time, and we let them be after meeting them!” Phil rambled out, hoping to save Jordan from death by feral preteen.

The unnamed boy’s expression pinched, and his eyebrows furrowed in anger, but Dream, in an act of mercy, placed a hand on his shoulder and went to whisper in his ear. As he listened, the boy’s eyes widened before squinting skeptically.

“Did one of you bandage Tubbo’s wound?”

“Yes! Yes, I, um, I did that.” Jordan frantically answered.

The boy inhaled before pulling the spear back and aiming.

Phil clenched his eyes closed and waited for screams that didn’t come. Instead, he heard the sound of a vine being cut and a spear hitting wood. He barely had the time to process what had happened before the net holding himself and Jordan fell to the ground. The pain of falling several feet was nothing compared to the pain of being run through with a spear, but the humiliation of the situation was almost crippling.

Jordan and Phil writhed on the ground until they managed to free themselves from the net, and when Jordan was finally ready to stand, he looked up to find the pink-haired boy shyly offering him a hand.

“My name is Techno, and smiley over there is Dream,” Techno shifted from foot to foot, “Are you really, Captain Sparklez?”

Jordan took the boy’s hand and was surprised at the strength in his grip, “Uh, yeah. That’s me, Captain Jordan Sparklez.” The sudden switch in the atmosphere was jarring, but definitely not unwelcomed.

“Did you actually fight 20 pirates by yourself and win?!” Techno asked excitedly.

Jordan looked over to Phil for advice, not wanting to reignite the previous situation. Phil, who seemed just as confused as Jordan felt, nodded enthusiastically from where he was awkwardly holding Dream’s hand because apparently, the masked boy hadn’t wanted to let go.

Jordan slowly turned back to Techno who was looking up at him expectantly, “Uh-huh! Yup! That was me!”

“Can you teach Dream and me to sword fight?”

And honestly, Jordan thought, this might as well happen. His life had already gone completely off the rails. “Sure, I’ll, uh, I’ll teach you.”

Techno nodded firmly, and he turned to grab Dream’s hand from Phil, “Meet us here again tomorrow. Same time.” And with that, the two boys walked hand in hand deeper into the wood.

For a moment Phil and Jordan stood in silence, hearts racing.

“Holy shit! I mean, holy-” Phil shouted.

Jordan put his head in his hands and attempted to stop the shaking in his hands, “I know! Oh, my Gods! That was awful! Techno was gonna kill me! And Dream was probably gonna tear your throat out with his teeth!”

“I know!” Phil responded, adrenaline still coursing through his veins, “They want you to teach them to sword fight! As if they aren’t already too well versed in combat!”

The duo’s breakdown lasted for a little while longer before the sun began to set and they trekked back to the house. The events of the day had left them sluggish and paranoid, but they managed to make it back in one piece. As they approached the house, however, they noticed a note tacked onto the door. 

Phil ripped off the note and looked it over.

Jordan rubbed his eyes and yawned, “What does it say?”

“It’s a note from the boys we saw. Um, it says, ‘To the two old buttheads who overheard us talking, if you’re reading this, you’re not dead, which means that Techno and Dream decided that you weren’t a threat.” Phil paused in his reading to giggle somewhat hysterically.

“However,” Phil eventually continued, “We haven’t reached that conclusion ourselves. If we find out you have any plans to hurt them, we will hunt you down like the vermin you are. Sincerely, the Muffinteers.’”

Jordan sighed slowly before letting out a small laugh of his own, “Let’s just, go to bed. We’ll deal with it in the morning.”

Phil nodded as he unlocked the door and opened it, “Yeah, we’ve been threatened by children enough times today.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm glad y'all were exited for this series! I hope this lives up to your expectations? idk idk
> 
> Lemme know if i need to tag something else, i sometimes forget to add tags so


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